Oboe Sonata (Poulenc)

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Oboe Sonata (Poulenc) - Wikipedia

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Sonate pour houtbois et piano
Oboe sonata by Francis Poulenc
Catalogue	FP 185
Composed	1962 (1962)
Dedication	Memory of Sergei Prokofiev
Movements	3

The Sonate pour houtbois et piano, FP 185, is an oboe sonata by Francis Poulenc dating from 1962. The composer's last work, it is dedicated to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev.

History

Composed in 1962, the Oboe Sonata is the last of Poulenc's last works, three sonatas for wind instruments and piano, the others being the Flute Sonata (1956) and the Clarinet Sonata (1962). It is dedicated to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev.^[1]^[2]

Music

The Oboe Sonata is structured in three movements:^[2]

Elégie (Paisiblement, sans presser)
Scherzo (Très animé)
Déploration (Très calme)

The movements are in the order slow-fast-slow, opposed to the traditional fast-slow-fast sequence. A performance will last between 13 and 15 minutes.^[2]

The first movement, Élégie (elegy), is marked Paisiblement, sans presser (Peacefully, without hurry). It begins with a high four-note phrase. A steady bass line and pulsing harmony from the piano support a plaint melody, a lyrical second theme, and a third theme that features a double-dotted motif, providing the climax of the movement. It ends quietly, with a recapitulation of the previous peaceful material.^[2]

The central Scherzo is marked Très animé (very lively). The three-partite movement has toccata-like features in its outer parts, with pointed rhythms and arpeggios. A slower middle section leads to a climax in the piano.^[2]

The final Déploration, marked Très calme (very calm), has a theme like a chorale, introduced in the piano. The entrance of the oboe is marked monotone, and the essentially sad music shifts in tonality towards the close.^[2]

A reviewer from The New York Times described the sonata as a "paradoxical mix of the elegiac, the suave and the clever".^[1]

Poulenc's wind sonatas share thematic material. For example, motifs in the final movement of the Clarinet Sonata can be heard in the Scherzo of the Oboe Sonata. Similarly, the Second Movement of the Clarinet Sonata opens with a motif that can be seen as an inversion of the opening of the Elégie of the Oboe Sonata.

References

^ ^a ^b Smith, Steve (17 December 2009). "A Concert's Name Player Makes Room for Friends". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Aprahamian, Felix (1999). "Sonata for oboe and piano". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 13 October 2023.

External links

Oboe Sonata (Poulenc): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

v t e Francis Poulenc
List of compositions List of works for piano
Operas	Les mamelles de Tirésias (1947) Dialogues of the Carmelites (1957) La voix humaine (1959)
Ballets	Les biches (1922) Aubade (1929) Les Animaux modèles (1941)
Orchestral music	Sinfonietta (1947)
Concertos	Concert champêtre (1927) Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1932) Organ Concerto (1938) Piano Concerto (1949)
Chamber music	Rapsodie nègre (1917) Sonata for two clarinets (1918) Sonata for clarinet and bassoon (1922) Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone (1922) Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1926) Sextet (1932) Villanelle (1934) Suite française (1935) Violin Sonata (1942) Cello Sonata (1948) Élégie pour cor et piano (1957) Flute sonata (1957) Clarinet Sonata (1962) Oboe Sonata (1962)
Piano music	Mouvements perpétuels (1919) Piano Suite (1920) Trois novelettes (1927) Soirées de Nazelles (1936) L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (1940) La Courte Paille (1960)
Songs	Chanson à boire (1922) Chansons gaillardes (1926) Fiançailles pour rire (1939) Les Chemins de l'amour (1940) Banalités (1940)
Choir (a cappella)	Messe en sol majeur (1937) Sécheresses (1937) Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence (1939) Figure humaine (1943)
Choir and orchestra	Litanies à la Vierge Noire (1936) Stabat Mater (1950) Gloria (1959) Sept répons des ténèbres (1963)
Collaborations	L'Album des Six (1919) Les mariés de la tour Eiffel (1921) L'éventail de Jeanne (1927) Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long (1956)
Incidental music	Le Gendarme incompris (1920) Intermezzo (1933) Léocadia (1940) L'Invitation au château (1947) Amphitryon (1947) Renaud et Armide (1962)
Related	Les Six Brigitte Manceaux Neoclassicism "L'adieu du cavalier" (Tailleferre)
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